The 76ers didn’t just beat the Bulls on Monday. They gave their top guys something almost as valuable as a win: a lighter night.
Philadelphia rolled to a 126-107 victory for its first blowout of the season, and the margin let Nick Nurse keep the workload in check for the players who have been carrying the load early. All five starters finished with at least 15 points, and the team shot a season-high 52.7% from the field. That kind of efficiency made the whole night easier, especially for the veterans dealing with mileage or nagging issues.
Jaylen Brown was one of the biggest beneficiaries. He logged 33 minutes, three fewer than his season average, and turned in one of his cleanest performances since arriving in Philadelphia: 25 points on 9-15 shooting, 4-7 from deep, 11 rebounds and five assists. Brown had missed the 76ers’ 98-93 win over New York on October 30 because of patellar tendinopathy in his left knee, then returned the next night against Charlotte and shot 6-15 in a game that didn’t look like he was fully himself.
“[My left knee has] been a little sore,” Brown told Austin Krell of Vertical 76ers after the Bulls game. “Been having some flares.
It's nothing to be overly concerned about. But I'll progress as the season goes on.
I haven't felt very athletic, like my normal self, and feeling a little under the rim. But I'm looking forward.
I felt better today.”
LeBron James got the same kind of break. He played 31 minutes against Chicago, and Philadelphia has already been managing him carefully, including the game he missed in Charlotte because of sciatica management. Even with the controlled workload, he kept the offense humming, averaging 7.3 assists per game while turning it over just 2.3 times.
After the Bulls game, James pointed to the way his teammates finished plays when he got them the ball.
#Sixers star LeBron James on having 9 assists tonight against the Bulls: run. “We have great receivers like Reese and VJ, JB, and the rest of the guys. I just try to put the ball on time and on target, and they was able to capitalize.” pic.twitter.com/GcuPklv469
Joel Embiid’s night was also carefully managed. He played 25 minutes, a season low, but that was by design rather than because the game got out of hand.
Embiid came in questionable with plantar fascia injury management in his right foot and had also sat out the Charlotte game with the same designation. Against Chicago, he still put up 15 points, eight assists and three rebounds.
“It’s been going on like that for the last few [games]... It’s painful,” Embiid told Chris Hine of The Philadelphia Inquirer after the Bulls game.
“But we’ve been able to manage it, but it has its ups and downs... You feel it on the court, so it certainly doesn’t help.”
The timing matters because the schedule doesn’t exactly ease up next. Philadelphia heads to Detroit on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
ET to face a Pistons team that allows the fewest points per game in the league at 100.3. It’s the second meeting between the teams after Detroit beat the Embiid-less 76ers 106-93 on Oct.
The Pistons are 6-1, the 76ers are 7-1, and this one could matter later in the Eastern Conference race. That’s what made Monday’s extra rest so useful. Philadelphia got the win, and its starters got a little more in the tank for what’s coming next.
In Other News...
Sixers Fans Have Seen This Before As Porzingis Saga Nears A Harsh End
Kristaps Porzingis is back in the kind of limbo that NBA fans know can turn messy fast. The Golden State Warriors are not paying his salary while he is sidelined by a health condition, and with the February 11 trade deadline approaching, his contract is still movable if the front office decides to act. For Philadelphia fans, the whole thing has an uncomfortable familiar feel, even if the details are not the same as the Ben Simmons standoff that once dominated the league conversation.
Porzingis has not asked out, but the uncertainty around his future is hard to ignore, especially with retirement reportedly part of the discussion. The Warriors can keep exploring trade options, yet the bigger question is whether there is still a path back to the floor at all. For Sixers followers, it is another reminder of how quickly a roster issue can shift from a basketball matter into something far more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
76ers Keep Rolling But One Lineup Issue Just Got Harder To Ignore
The 76ers kept their early-season surge going with a 112-106 win over the Pistons, pushing them to 8-1 and the best record in the NBA. Jaylen Brown delivered a season-high 30 points and seven rebounds, while Joel Embiid added 26 points and 15 rebounds as Philadelphia leaned on its top-end talent to close out another tight game.
Still, the rotation picture is starting to draw more attention as the wins pile up. Anfernee Simons had a limited impact with minimal playing time, and the way Philadelphia is handling that group will be worth watching as the schedule gets tougher and the margins get thinner. Even with the team rolling, the balance of minutes and roles is becoming harder to overlook. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Frontcourt Suddenly Looks Unsettled At The Worst Time
The frontcourt picture around Atlanta has taken another hit at an awkward moment, with Dominick Barlow meeting with a specialist to evaluate his back injury and now projected to need another 10 to 12 days before he can get back to on-court work. For a team already trying to sort out its rotation, that kind of delay only adds to the uncertainty, especially with the schedule offering little time to settle things down.
For Philadelphia, the ripple effects are worth watching because Adem Bona is now dealing with a neck injury of his own and is listed as doubtful for the next game. The Sixers have been leaning on depth and flexibility in the middle, and any missed time from Bona only sharpens the focus on how these injury situations stack up across the league, from Jalen Johnsons questionable status in Atlanta to the other frontcourt returns and debuts popping up elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]